So you've hit a plateu, Heres why. (Tips included)

seanezekiel

I tend to think that most plateaus happen because people get lazy.

They slack with their logging (don't log everything as honestly or as accurately as they did when they started), so their diet isn't as dialed in as it was)

They slack with their workouts... either they lose the desire to push themselves, or they don't increase intensity (weight, speed, whatever) as their body gets faster and stronger, so as a result they aren't challenging their body like they were at the beginning.

I use to think this as well. And I am sure in a lot of cases it is still true. However I have hit a plateau twice now and both times I was very dedicated and regular in everything I did. I didn't use any fancy tricks to get the weight going again though. I am sure this will be hailed as terrible but I stopped exercising for 4-5 days each time and when I started up again weight started to fall again. May have been fluke, may have been water weight. Who knows. All I can say is I wasn't being lazy.

heybales

I think I realized you may not have actually read the threads of topics that say plateau, because in the vast majority, you'll find they have correctly lowered their calories as weight is lost, because MFP does this automatically.
Which also means their logged exercise is correctly showing less calorie burn.

In fact was usually happens is they never were eating enough, weight loss slowed, and they started exercising more without increasing calories, making the situation worse.

Majority did follow your initial advice, changed to different dvd program, did more, ate less. And kept their plateau going good and strong.

marydhastings

you mention pace, so I assume we're talking about cardio. if you work out at the same pace overtime, you are necessarily not increasing intensity, which is my point. as time goes on your body get stronger, and you need to increase the pace ( or add Hills or increase weight or something) to maintain the same level of intensity is when you started.

so once again, you continue to support my point.

Techincally, your supporting my point, considering I made this post with the same message I'm still giving now. :P Just saying

yes, dear.

lol. sarcasm or no this made me laugh.
Do know, I'm not picking a fight. I'm just stubborn. I do and always will respect yours, and everyone elses opinion, however (:

marydhastings

I think I realized you may not have actually read the threads of topics that say plateau, because in the vast majority, you'll find they have correctly lowered their calories as weight is lost.

In fact was usually happens is they never were eating enough, weight loss slowed, and they started exercising more without increasing calories, making the situation worse.

Majority did follow your initial advice, changed to different dvd program, did more, ate less. And kept their plateau going good and strong.

There's many different reasons as to why people hit plateaus, everyone is different. I'm not saying my tips are the only ones out there. If I hit that position where doing all these things still didn't change anything, Personally I would visit a doctor, trainer, or a nutritionist to see what was going on in my body.

shosh413

I apologize if this was already posted in this forum, but I don't want to read all of it lol... I don't understand how a plateu can happen if all you need to lose weight is to have a calorie deficit. I hear all the time "calories in calories out" etc... so i don't understand how this can happen.... and if it's because your body just does sometimes... then it's not just calories in calories out is it?

heybales

I apologize if this was already posted in this forum, but I don't want to read all of it lol... I don't understand how a plateu can happen if all you need to lose weight is to have a calorie deficit. I hear all the time "calories in calories out" etc... so i don't understand how this can happen.... and if it's because your body just does sometimes... then it's not just calories in calories out is it?

It's because if you make it too extreme a difference, and doing others things badly, your body will adapt and you can log as accurate as you can with the calories in part of the equation, but your body adapted and changed the calories out part on you.
Making it match, stopping weight loss.
And if you caused the adaptation by extreme deficit, take more deficit off may indeed eventually work, but it's going to be a harder battle.
Better to just make it a reasonable deficit.

Purposeful reasonable deficit for slow weight loss many times end up beating the extreme deficit and then stalled weight loss for who knows how long.